The field of the present invention is carrier bags for athletic shoes and, more specifically, for bulky athletic boots such as in line skates, roller skates, ice skates, ski boots and the like.
Recreational and competitive skaters and skiers are always looking for convenient ways to carry or transport their athletic shoes and boots when they are traveling to the skating rink, ski slope, or park. Many of these carrying apparatus are quite versatile and can be used interchangeably to carry many types of athletic and walking shoes. Each has its advantages and disadvantages and is generally selected to suit the particular needs of the user. However, what becomes evident from a brief description of some of these carrying apparatus is that there is a need for a convenient carrying bag that not only holds the athletic shoes in a compact and nonshifting relationship, but also leaves the users hands free to carry other items or to help retain his balance while skating.
Ski boots, probably the largest, heaviest and most cumbersome of the various athletic shoes are typically carried in a large "top-entry" bag that provides ample space to permit a pair of individual boots to sit side-by-side in an upright position inside the bag. The problem with this bag is that it is designed to expand to the width of the two boots and becomes quite bulky, large and awkward to carry. Alternatively, a pair of ski boots is carried on a ski boot carrier which is a simple apparatus having a rope loop hanging from a small handle. The boot buckles are threaded through and snapped shut around the rope such that the boots are secured to the rope allowing the skier to grasp the handle and carry both boots in one hand. Like the ski boot bag, the ski boot carrier is awkward to use because the boots hang side by side taking up a lot of area. To make matters worse, the ski boot carrier does not hold the boots in a non-shifting relationship to each other. Each boot is allowed to swing freely making it difficult to control or retard their movement and prevent them from banging against other hard objects, the carrier's leg and other people passing by. Because the athletic boots are constructed of very hard material, the constant swinging and banging motion experienced can be very painful and leave bruises.
Another problem with the ski boot carrier is that it does not cover and protect the boots. As a result, the unprotected boots can be easily scratched or damaged as they bang against each other and other hard objects during transport. In addition, the ski boot carrier does not protect the boots from the snow, slush and other elements. At a minimum, the inside of the boots may become wet and cold making them uncomfortable to wear and, at a maximum, can be damaged due to warping. The awkward and bulky nature of both the ski boot bag and the ski boot carrier are most readily apparent and amplified when the user is also lugging around skis, poles and suitcase through a crowded airport during ski season.
Similar carrier bags and devices are used to transport roller skates, in line skates, and ice skates; and, like the ski boot bag and carrier, they have various deficiencies and drawbacks. The most popular means for carrying skates is to tie the shoe laces together and hang them from the carrier's shoulder. As any skater knows, this method for carrying skates is awkward for at least two reasons--the skates swing and bounce off the carrier's back and chest as he walks and the weight of the skates causes the laces to dig into the carrier's shoulder, both of which are painful experiences. The concept of hanging a pair of boots from the carrier's shoulder was applied to the design of a bag described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,256 issued to McGruder. This bag, which can best be described as a saddle bag design, may overcome the problems caused by the laces digging into the carrier's shoulder. However, it does not solve the problem caused by the swinging and bouncing of the skates against the carrier's chest and back.
Another problem experienced by roller skaters, in line skaters, ice skaters and, to some extent, skiers is having no place to put their walking shoes when they are skating or skiing outdoors. If the skater decides to walk to a particular skating destination such as a park, bike trail, boardwalk, or frozen lake the skater must take off his or her shoes and either leave them somewhere where they can be picked up later, tie the shoe laces together and hang them from his or her neck or shoulder, or carry them in a handbag or knapsack. Each one of these methods offers its own problems. If a skater leaves her walking shoes laying around somewhere she runs the risk of having them stolen while she is skating. If a skater hangs them from her shoulder or carries them in her hand she loses some freedom of motion and concentration increasing the danger of falling. She loses the free use of her hands to keep her balance and must constantly readjust or balance her dangling shoes so that she does not drop them.
Along the same lines, if the skater falls while the shoes are hanging from her shoulder, she runs the risk of being injured by the shoes when she hits the ground. The shoes may hit her in the face when she falls or be caught under her in an unsafe position when she hits the ground. If the shoes are hanging from her neck, she may be choked, scratched or burned by the laces. Needless to say, a skater does not enjoy her skating experience as much as she would if her hands were free and she did not have to worry about where to keep her walking shoes while she skates.
Another problem experienced by skaters is that they are often not allowed in stores or restaurants wearing skates. Thus, skaters on a boardwalk, for example, are prohibited from shopping, browsing, going to the rest room, and the like unless she changes into a pair of walking shoes. Under these circumstances, a bag for carrying the skater's walking shoes is desired to insure that her walking shoes are available if she decides to stop to get something to eat or drink. In another sense, such a bag will expand the boundaries of the "skating rink." If a skater carries her walking shoes with her she has the option of skating greater distances without the worry of having to skate back the same distance on the return trip. If she gets tired of skating she can put on her walking shoes and take a bus, train or taxi back home.
Unfortunately, in order to avoid dealing with the above-mentioned problems, the roller skater or in line skater will, more often than not, leave her walking shoes home and skate to the park, bike trail, or boardwalk. However, in route from the skater's house to her skating destination the skater must confront and avoid a variety of urban obstacles such as stairs, curbs, people, stop lights, cars, dogs and dog leashes, and so forth. The inherent dangers that a skater is likely to encounter are quite numerous when one considers that the typical skater is not an expert skater having the skills required to easily avoid common obstacles. It is an all too familiar scene to see a novice skater grasping onto a telephone pole or traffic sign to avoid rolling out of control into the street. This is especially true for younger skaters who are influenced by television commercials exhibiting teams of in line skaters skating at high speeds through the streets of a city. As a result, parents are constantly warning their children to carry their skates and walk to their skating destination. Unfortunately, the burden of skating with something in your hands or around your neck (i.e., walking shoes) or of worrying whether you will be able to find your shoes where you left them before you started skating forces many skaters to expose themselves to the inherent dangers of skating in an unsafe skating environment in order to get to a safer skating environment.
One way to encourage safer skating habits is to provide a bag that will interchangeably accommodate a pair of skates and the skater's walking shoes when she is skating. Although knapsacks are typically used for this purpose they present a variety of problems. First, although just about all knapsacks will, in one way or another, accommodate a pair of walking shoes, it is usually difficult to find a knapsack that is large enough or shaped to accommodate a pair of ice skates, in line skates or roller skates. Second, when a large enough knapsack is found it is usually stressed and, eventually torn, where the wheels or blades press against the fabric because the blade portion is not held in a non-damaging position where it will not be stressed or pressed against the bag. Third, such bags do not hold the shoes or skates in a nonshifting relationship relative to each other because the individual skates are not secured in place inside the bag. In other words, the individual skates or boots are allowed to slip or bunch up over each other. Nor do such bags balance or distribute the weight of the skates inside the bag. Invariably the skates shift around inside the bag and eventually settle in an awkward disarray in positions in which they can be damaged and such that they hang uncomfortably from the wearer's back in at least two respects--first, the center of gravity of the boots is often too far away and unbalanced relative to the wearer's body and, second, the boots and blade portions thereon press out against the bag such that the bag does not rest comfortably against the wearer. The weight of the skates then causes protruding portions of the skates such as the wheels or blades to dig into the wearer's back even when she is standing still. The knapsack is even more uncomfortable when the wearer is walking and her motion causes the bag and the sharp portions of the skates to painfully bounce off her back.